Fuel heater for hydrocarbon engines



Sept. 22, 1935. 1,554,381

E. J. SOLOMON FUEL HEATER FOR HYDBOCARBON ENGINES Or'iginal Filed June 11, 1917 4 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 22, 1925 1,554,381 I E. J. SOLOMON FUEL HEATER FOR HYDROCARBON snemss Original Filed Jim 11, 1917' 4 eets-Sheet 2 INvENTuE ATTY Sept. 22, 1925 1,554,381

E. J. SOLOMON FUEL HEATER FOR HYDROCARBON ENGIEES Original Filed June 11,1917 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES nnean J. SOLOMON, or rEonIA, ILL NOIS, assrenon'ro AVERY COMPANY,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

v I '1,ss4,3s1 .PATE'NTgOFF'ICE.

or rnonra,

FUEL HEATER" FOR. HYDROCARBON ENGINES.

Application filed June 11,1917, Serial No. 174,083. Renewed April 17, 1922. Serial No. 553,925,

To all whom it may concem:

' Be it known that I, EDGAR J. SoLoMon, a citizen of. the United States, a resident of Peoria, in thecounty of Peoria and Stat-e of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Fuel Heaters fonHydrooarbon Engines, of which the following is a specification. r

This invention relates to an improved fuel heater for, internal combustion engines and hasfor, its object to providea heater for heavy. fuels such as kerosene, which willbe simple in construction and effective in heat ing and vaporizing the fuel; which will consist virtually of but a smgle castmg, and

' can. be readily inserted into or taken out from the passageways of the exhaust gases from the engine, and for the in-going-fuel vaporsmi In the'drawings, V Fig. lisa plan, view of a four cylinder opposed. hydro-carbon engine, with my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1; -j-

ing my invention;

. Fig. fl is an end view of the heater;

Fig. 5is a plan view of the heater; 1 i Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section as the same would appear if'taken on the line 6-6 .of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-section asthe same would appear if taken on the line 7 7 of Fig.3. 7

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the figures.

1 designates generally a preferred form of four cylinder opposed hydro-carbon engine to which my invention is applied, including all of the various parts and devices common to engines of this character. 2 desi nates a carbureter of the double-type with any preferred valve construction to enable it to feed either gasoline or kerosene. To two of the exhaust pipes of the engine, not shown, are connected heaters 1. The exhaust from the engine enters the heaters through an exhaust inlet opening 5 communicating with an exhaust chamber 6, formed by an outside wall 7, and an inner wall 8, preferably partially corrugated, as at 9. g

10 designates the main fuel feed pipe hav ing an elbow connection 11, communicating with the carbureter 2. One end of said plpe 10 is connected with one heater 4 and the op- Fig. 3 .is a side view of a heater embody- I connected with the carburetor.

ter the heater through an inlet opening 12 and pass into and through a chamber 13 in the heater formed by a continuation of the outside wall 7, and the inner corrugated wall 9, the vaporized fuel leaving the heater through an outlet opening 14 and passing into the cylinders of the engine through pipes 15. -The relative positions of the openings 12 and 14.,1the latter guarded by a battle wall 16,causes the air charged with kerosene, entering the heater, to take a circular action, in a manner, and for a purpose to be described. l

Preferably forming an integral part ;of only one heater 4 is. aeliamber or pocket 17 one wall of which is the outside wall 7 forming a partition between the exhaust chamber 6 and said chamber or pocket 17. Communicating with said chamber or pocket 17 are sections 18 and 19 of the fuel feed pipe. The

section, 18 of said pipe is connected with the supply tank and the section 19 of said pipe Thus, all the kerosene fuel fed to the carburetor 2 passes through the chamber or pocket 17.

The preferred construction of the heater 4 is that seen in Fig. 6, the exhaust inlet 5 and the vapor outlet 14: being spaoed'in vertical alinenient, the exhaust chamber 6 and the vapor chamber 13 being separated by the wall 8, and the exhaust chamber 6 and the chamber or pocket 17 being separated by the wall 7 The inlet opening 12, in the heater for the entrance of the air charged with kerosene thereinto, and the arrangement of the baffle wall 16 with respect thereto, are such that, the vapor will have a centrifugal action through the chamber 13. The exhaust from the engine, entering the heater will also be directed upwardly, and following the course of the corrugated wall 9 so as to heat the same, and insure the complete vaporization of any heavy unvaporizedhydro-carbon coming into contact with said wall. 7

By reference to Fig. 6, it will be seen that after the air charged with kerosene enters the chamber 13, the mixture will have a chance to expand, slowing up'its movement through the heater permitting the heavier unvaporized hydro-carbon particles to drop on the heated wall 8 where they will be vaporized. By centrifugal action the vapor and the lighter, but also unvaporized hydrocarbon will be driven out against the corrugations 9 of the Wall 8, the contact with such heated corrugations finally vaporizing the fuel which is then drawn into the cylinders. An examination ofFig. 6 will disclose that the space between the bafile wall 16 and the corrugated portion 9 of the wall 8 is contracted slightly which will tend to increase the velocity of the fuel as it leaves the heater to enter the cylinders.

In operation, the operator will first feed the carbureter with gasoline, as it is well understood that a hydro-carbon gas may be quickly formed by mixing gasoline with air of a normal or even a re'asonably'low temperatnre. After the engine has gotten started and the exhaust therefrom passing through the heater l has heated the chamber or pocket 17, the operator will shift the valve of the carbureter 2 to take in kerosene fed'in through the feed pipe sections 18 and- 19 and the chamber or pocket 17, where the temperature of the kerosene will be raised to insure its quick atomization when mixed with the air in the carbureter and the formation of a mixture which will be drawn into and through the heater 4 and thence into the engine.

The heater herein set forth is a single casting having the front and rear external walls above described, the internal wall 8, 9, the baflle wall 16 and the walls of the chamber 17 all formed integrally. Not only is the device thus greatly simplified in structure but as all of the walls are integral the heat is utilized with the highest efliciency. The internal wall is as above indicated formed with the horizontal part 8, and the approximately vertically positioned corrugated section 9. The chamber or duct through which the'exliaust gases pass takes them in a circuitous path without seriously impeding their escape. The iii-going air and fuel are also taken through the chamber 13 circuitously and heat is transmitted to them from the wall 8, 9 with e'fiiciency.

lVhat I claim is 1. A heater for heavy fuel for internal combustion engines, it having the external front and rear walls 7, the internal wall 8, 9, and the curved baffle plate 16, all cast integrally together, the wall 8, 9 having a horizontal section and an approximately vertically disposed corrugated section and dividing the interior of the heater into two circuitous duets or chambers, one of said chambers being adapted to be made part of the duct for the exhaust gases from the engine, and the other adapted to be made part of the fuel supply duct to the engine, the vertically disposed wall section 9 having its corrugations positioned to be impinged on by the heavy fuel particles, and the horizontal wall section 8 being positioned adjacent the inlet for exhaust gas whereby it is highly heated for volatilizing the heavy fuel particles arrested upon it.

2. A heater for heavy fuel for internal combustion engines having external front, rear and internal walls cast integrally together and forming three independent chambers, one chamber adapted to form part of a fuel supply duct and having an inlet '12 positioned to cause some of the heavy fuel particles to impinge on a substantially horizontal section of an internal wall and others to impinge on an approximately vertical section of said wall, the second chamber forming part of a, duct for supplying heavy fuel to a carbureter and the third chamber positioned between the last said chamber and the horizontal section of the internal wall of the first said chamber and forming part of a duct for heated exhaustgases from the engine.

EDGAR J. SOLOMON. 

